Quote:
Originally Posted by Woodsy
BI...
I find it hard to believe that your depth finder (sonar - sound waves) goes off when your boat was painted with radar (microwaves). Especially considering your sonar transducer is located under the waterline of the boat in either the bilge (internal) or external on the transom....
|
Actually RF energy wouldn't (and couldn't) be present or stimulate the sonar transducer. However, the RF energy emitted by a nearby radar unit could easily penetrate the usually poorly shielded depth finder housing and interact with internal electronics causing a false alarm or other ghost readings.
As a certified radar operator I have had the opportunity to spend many hours operating various radar devices over the years and have found that not only can I induce other electronic devices to act sporadically by pointing the beam a particular way, but I can also induce the radar to display false readings in the same method. One of my favorites is to see what I get for a reading from a digital watch, depending on the brand, or to search for distant aircraft radars audibly by listening to the radar's received doppler audio output while searching the sky with the cone.
I have many many interesting radar stories...and I do get a kick out of reading a lot of the false assumptions that layman make online about radar! But never had I read so much misinformation than I did during the speed limit threads. While much of it was humorous, I do believe most of it was do more to plain misunderstanding than plain deception.....
That all said Bear Islander's claims are not only plausible, but I have seen those same effects first hand.
